Well, this took me longer than I expected it would. I'm sorry about the delay, but I was feeling depressed for a few days, meaning that it was rather difficult for me to get anything accomplished.

To answer your questions: No, Section 13 was something I thought was my own and has no relation to any other franchise.

"So what next?" Ron asked himself. They couldn't stay in this place forever. For one thing, he had the suspicion that pretty much everyone in Drakken's lair heard the shouting match between KP and Shego. He was on the other side, but thanks to the acoustics, he had little difficulty making out every word. Sooner or later, somebody would let their location slip.

And ever since their spat, Shego had barely spoken two words to him. He inquired as to why that was the case, but had yet to get any kind of answer out of her. This is definitely not what we need right now. They had to focus on finding out who was responsible for setting them up, but instead Kim spent a lot of her time glowering at Shego; it seemed her priorities were rather skewed, to say the least.

In order to get away from it, Ron spent his time practicing his abilities, both to prepare for the coming confrontation and as a distraction from all the drama going on around him. By now, he was getting close to be able to lift his own body weight with telekinesis, and his energy shots were more powerful and more accurate than ever.

"Ron... can I talk to you?" Kim finally caught up to him, interrupting his informal training. She had the impression that he was avoiding her, just as she was doing to him before. Much as it had hurt, it was hard for her to argue that she didn't have it coming.

"What do you want, KP?" Ron sighed, hoping this wasn't going to be a tirade about Shego.

"I just... I wanted to apologize." Kim forced out the words, hating the fact that she had to admit that Shego was right about anything. "I shouldn't have treated you that way. I've been so caught up with my own problems that it was easy to forget that you were suffering as well."

"Anything else?" Ron asked, looking at her coldly. He wasn't inclined to let her off easily, not this time.

"Just... can you forgive me for being foolish and taking the best friend I ever had for granted?" Kim wondered, a little apprehensive. Most of her thought that he'd smile and shrug it off, like what usually happened when they thought, but this time, she wasn't so sure. That distance between them was manifesting itself, and she knew not all of it could be blamed on her kidnapping. Part of it, at least, was because of her.

"Yeah, I can forgive you." Ron smiled at her. He then turned serious again. "However, I am going to make something very clear. You have absolutely no say in what happens between Shego and myself. The choice is mine and mine alone. I don't expect you to become friends with her- you don't even have to like her- but what I am asking is that you accept that I can make my own decisions about my life."

Kim failed to respond for a few seconds. For most of their lives, she had always been the one in charge. She led, he followed; it was the natural order of things. Hell, responsibility frightened him more than anything else. Now, though, she was seeing him in a whole different light. "All right... I guess you have a deal." Kim responded. She was both happy and disappointed that Ron didn't need her guidance anymore.

Ron hugged her and lifted her off the ground, taking her by surprise. "That's great, KP!" He smiled at her, beginning to come back to her old self. "Come on, I want to show you some of my new tricks. You wouldn't believe what I've been able to accomplish in a short period of time!"

"All right, Ron, what do you have?" Kim wondered. She didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm, but there was something she needed to point out. "We are in our arch-enemies' lair right now, so I wouldn't show everything at once. Let's make sure we have a couple surprises for the future."

"I already disabled both security cameras Drakken has in here." Ron shrugged. He extended both hands and closed his eyes, focusing intently. Kim gasped as she began to notice herself levitating off the ground.

"Ron, what are you doing?!" Kim exclaimed. She broke his concentration and she landed on the ground in a crouch. Fortunately, she was up less than a foot.

"I just wanted to show you my progress." Ron smiled at her. "What do you think?"

"Wow, that's... that's amazing." Kim was forced to admit. There was a bit of jealousy in her voice, but she did her best to suppress it. You've acted childish long enough. She told herself. Just be happy for him.

"We've been stuck in this place for over a week; I needed something to do." Ron shrugged. "I even managed to meditate for an hour and a half without falling asleep."

"Who are you and what have you done with Ron Stoppable?" Kim grinned. "Must be a synthrodone or something."

"Nope; if I was, I'd manage to stay quiet while Drakken ranted and raved about his latest plans." Ron responded. " 'I, the great Doctor Drakken, have devised a way to conquer the world with my blah-blah-blah device that... does something I can't remember. Shego!' " Kim began to giggle hysterically, despite her efforts to hold it back. That was a surprisingly accurate parody.

" 'yeah, yeah, I'm totally listening.' Kim imitated Shego, pretending to read a magazine and rolling her eyes. It was amazing how set all of them had become in their patterns.

"It... it is good to see you talking to me again, KP." Ron admitted. "I know it's far from our first quarrel, but I always worry that something's going on happen."

"Ron, I'm not going to leave you, even if I get mad at you sometimes." Kim fretted. Did he really think she would do that to him? Can you blame him, after the way you've been treating him lately? Her thoughts betrayed her.

"I know, KP, but it still isn't pleasant." Ron shook his head. "Sorry if I'm depressed; just having trouble pushing our current situation out of my head." They had little to distract themselves, meaning that an already difficult task was nearly impossible.

"It's ok, Ron; I'm having the same problem." Kim admitted. Both of them sat down next to each other, while Kim sat her head on Ron's shoulder. "What must our parents be thinking right now?" On one hand, she could understand the instructions for her not to inform her parents about what was going on. They were mediocre actors at best and it wouldn't take long for one of them to slip and for others to realize that she wasn't dead after all. On the other hand, they were likely devastated and she desperately wanted to tell them that she was all right and for them not to worry.

"Wonder what mine are saying," Ron mused. "I'll bet they've already rented out my room." His voice held considerable bitterness. Kim knew that her friend often had a strained relationship with his parents. They were away at work a lot of the time and unlike Kim's own, often allowed that to be an obstacle between them. He had gotten used to being independent at a young age. Well... semi-independent; Kim usually pulled him along her path.

"Don't say that, Ronald; I'm sure they miss you." Kim interjected.

"Wish I could believe the same," Ron replied and fell quiet after that. Kim had always tried to push them to become closer. It worked at times, but it never seemed to last very long. It didn't help that his mother had a strong distaste for her.

XXXXXXXXXX

"And with this latest upgrade, I will finally be able to defeat Kim Possible!" Drakken cackled, referring to the upgrades he was making on a pair of synthrodrones.

"Uh... you do realize that they're currently your guests inside this lair, right?" Shego pointed out. She sometimes found it hard to believe just how absent-minded her employer was. It was the fourth time she had reminded him of that fact ever since they had shown up. He might be a genius when it came to electronics, but he was quite ignorant of just about anything else.

"Oh... ah... I mean once all of this is over!" Drakken exclaimed.

"Oh, you're not going to ambush them and take advantage of their trust?" Shego sneered in order to hide her concern. She hoped she wasn't going to have to choose between Drakken and Ron. Kim she would gladly attack if she believed she had a chance of surviving the experience, but she'd grown to care about Ron. She didn't dare to use the word "love", not yet.

"Of course not!" Drakken shrugged. "I may be a villain, Shego, but I'm a man of my word."

"Great; have fun." Shego dismissed, but in truth, she was much relieved by his words. Her mind had been full of questions for months, mostly in regard to the path she was currently on. She was extremely stubborn and hated admitting that she could be wrong in any way. It was one of the reasons she had gone back to her old life, even after she received a pardon from Global Justice.

She walked out of the room, intent on finding Ron. This wasn't exactly her plan to have him cooped up inside, but since she had the opportunity, Shego intended to take full advantage of it. I'll bet that gives Kimmy nightmares. The grin on her face was terrifying and a pair of henchmen scrambled to get out of her way.

"Come on, KP, it's not that bad!" Ron protested.

"You stay right there, and no arguments!" Kim insisted. Shego's jealousy ignited, and she rushed to find out what was going on. The logical side of her brain told her that there was little to worry about, but her insecurities were still strong, and she knew that Ron was at least attracted to Kim, even if they weren't dating anymore.

She opened the door, forcing her hands to remain free of plasma, and walked in on Kim wiping blood off of Ron's head. "What happened?" Shego went to him, all her jealousy forgotten.

"I... kind of tripped over my own feet and banged my head against the wall." Ron admitted sheepishly. Shego glared at Kim, certain that she had something to do with that.

"No, you tripped over my foot." Kim pointed out. A rough spot on the wall had a couple dabs on blood, indicating where he fell.

"I'm supposed to be the Mystical Monkey Master, and yet I still trip over my own feet." Ron grinned sheepishly.

Shego prepared herself for what she was about to say. She came to the conclusion reluctantly, but under the circumstances, did not believe that she had any other options. "Ron... bitch... I think we need to evacuate you two." Shego informed the duo.

"Why do you say that?" Ron wondered, raising his hand in order to quell Kim's inevitable outburst.

"As much as I hate siding with the... slut, I think Shego's right." Kim admitted. "I'd be amazed if everyone in here didn't know we were here by now. At least some of them would be willing to give us up, for the reward, if nothing else." That was true; the fact that it would mean Ron was away from Shego was a delightful bonus.

Ron stepped between the two of them, hoping to prevent any more bloodshed from happening. "Look, this is a big place and Drakken doesn't have many henchmen here." He interjected. "I know we've got cause for concern, and I'll keep my eyes open, but I don't think there's any need to panic just yet. Now... who's up for some Nacos? Finally found out where the kitchen!"

"I'm sorry, Ron." Shego hugged him tightly. "I'll miss you, but we've got to get you two out of here. I'll take you to one of the escape hatches, and you've still got most of the money that Director handed Kimmy." She was about to offer them some of the money that she had gotten from the robbery, but refrained when she realized how unlikely Team Possible was to take it, even if it was between life and death.

"If that's what you want," Ron sighed dejectedly. Shego began leading them to one of the escape tunnels, still unhappy about the way things were turning out.

She noticed Kim's suspicious glare and bit her lip to keep from replying. What, do you think I'm leading you into an ambush? Shego thought furiously. Had she planned on doing so, she would have separated them first; the two of them together were too formidable.

Unfortunately, it appeared as if they were already too late. When Shego turned the corner, she found two dead henchmen. Whoever was responsible had managed to take them both out without making a single sound or attracting notice. Kim and Ron were both visibly sickened by it. "Oh, my god..." Ron gulped. It wouldn't be the first time he'd seen a dead body, but it didn't make it easy to live with.

"Looks like we're going to have company soon." Kim sighed. It reminded her too much of the murder she had committed under Ambrose's direction. True, like the two in front of them, he was a career criminal, but as far as she was concerned, it didn't make her actions right. She still occasionally saw his face in her nightmares.

Shego pressed a button on her wrist communicator and exclaimed: "Doctor D, we've got at least a single intruder in the lair, probably more!"

"That's impossible; my monitors are covering every square inch of this complex!" Drakken protested.

"Have you bothered to look at them once since I left the room?" Shego inquired, knowing that the answer was more than likely no.

"Hold on... every last one of them is down!" Drakken exclaimed. "I see what you mean..." The alarm began to sound, nearly deafening the three of them with the noise.

"I'm feeling a little exposed here." Ron remarked. "Maybe we should find a place where we aren't so vulnerable."

"I'm still getting you out of here." Shego promised, her hands now ignited with a lethal level of plasma. She prayed she wouldn't have to actually use it on anymore, but knew that it might end up becoming necessary.

"They'll kill everyone in here to get to us." Ron pointed out. He wasn't sure if it was "they" or "him" or "her". His still untrained senses would not give him the information that they all needed. "I'm not letting them die."

"Look, I appreciate the heroics, but it's not a luxury we can afford right now." Shego informed her. Not only that, but she'd be able to fight with a clear head if she didn't have Ron to worry about. Now they were all but running for the exit, Shego hoping that she could get him out in time.

"They might also be waiting for us there, depending on how well they know the layout of this place." Kim warned.

"Wish you hadn't brought that up." Shego sighed. The same idea had occurred to her.

During their journey, they had not so far run into anymore, enemy or ally. Whether it was because whoever it was had not yet shown himself or that he had simply killed all the rest, none of them knew. None of them had to courage to ask that question, even to themselves.

"You know, I'll bet that whoever's doing this will surprise us just when it seems like we're about to get away." Ron blurted out.

"Why do you think that?" Shego asked, keeping her eyes peeled.

"Haven't you ever seen a movie?" Ron responded. "The hero's about to get away, thinking he's won, and the bad guy shows up for one final fight!"

"This is the real world, Ron, and you can't just..." Shego was interrupted by a red blast just as they were about to enter the room. The emergency door immediately shut as it was programmed to do in case anyone managed to break inside. However, that meant that Kim was trapped outside with no way to get in.

"This is going to be fun." Their opponent laughed.

"Fukushima?!" Ron screamed, recognizing the voice.

"I'm glad you know who your executioner is." Fukushima chuckled, sending a burst of lightning his way. Ron only barely managed to evade it, preparing himself for battle as best he could. He was far from an expert, but he could feel the changes Fukushima had made since the last time they met. His eyes were almost glowing red, his face was pale, and there was something downright terrifying from his grin.

Ron knew that if he lost, he wouldn't just die. He'd suffer for a long, long time before he did. "Let's take this bastard down." Shego suggested, the two of them moving on opposite sides of Fukushima.

"How touching; you think you're actually going to come out of this alive." Fukushima laughed. "You have no understanding of the power I've obtained..." He was blasted mid-rant, Ron deciding to take the opportunity.

XXXXXXXXXX

I've got to get in there! Kim thought frantically. She knew of Fukushima from the story Ron had given her from his brief trip to Yamanouchi, but she had never imagined that he would feel so... evil. She had no supernatural senses, but her stomach was weak when she spotted him. She refused to let Ron face him alone; even Shego didn't deserve what would likely happen to her.

Unfortunately, she had yet to find a way inside. Even with her enhanced strength, the door refused to budge and try as she might, she could not find any kind of override button.

Her heart jumped when she heard someone coming up behind her. Kim moved into a battle crouch, her mind still on getting through the door. "I'm afraid you're not going anywhere." Monkey Fist laughed. "Big brother isn't around to protect you anymore."

"Don't you dare mention him!" Kim screamed, bringing back all her memories, which was no doubt the intention.

"I was hoping to finish off Stoppable, but my master will have that pleasure." Monkey Fist's lip curled, indicating he was unhappy about that turn of events.

"Not a chance." Kim swore. "I'll kill you and him both if that's what it takes." She meant every word of it; nothing was going to get in the way of protecting him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Honestly, I wasn't originally planning to have Ron and Fukushima encounter each other so early in the story, but that's where it ended up taking me. Hope you enjoyed; I have a few more twists planned in the next chapter.